Do you know St. Bartholomew?

Let us continue with our 12 Apostles Journey and talk about St. Bartholomew.

Highlights

By Deacon Keith Fournier
4/26/2023 (1 year ago)

Published in Living Faith

Keywords: 12, Apostles Journey, Bartholomew, 12 Apostles, Apostle, Nathanael

To talk about St. Bartholomew, we also need to talk about St. Philip, because it was St. Philip who introduced Bartholomew to Jesus. And it is worthy to note that Bartholomew is also called Nathanael in the New Testament.

After encountering the Lord and becoming a disciple, an overjoyed Philip immediately shared the Good News with Bartholomew. Bartholomew was skeptical, and even asked, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip invited him to "Come and see."

When Bartholomew approached Jesus the first time, the Lord said, "Behold an Israelite in whom there is no guile." Bartholomew asked Jesus, "How do you know me?" And Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig tree." This immediately convinced Bartholomew that something good had come from Nazareth.He confessed, "You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!" Jesus then asked Bartholomew why he believed in Him. "Do you believe just because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these. Truly, truly I tell you, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

Bartholomew became one of the 12 Apostles of Christ. He followed Jesus throughout His public, earthly ministry.

The Bible says very little more of Saint Bartholomew. We know he was present when Jesus appeared on the Sea of Tiberias following His Resurrection. Other sources do tell us more about Saint Bartholomew. From those sources and traditions, we know that Bartholomew evangelized people in India. According to some sources, he also evangelized in Ethiopia or Arabia. In cooperation with Saint Jude, he is said to have introduced Christianity to Armenia.

He was later martyred there, suffering a brutal death. Although accounts vary, he was beheaded, or skinned alive. Even under torture, Bartholomew never renounced his faith and hope in Jesus Christ.

Like Saint Bartholomew, we may suffer, but we are called to remain hopeful in Christ. We must follow Bartholomew's example of integrity and faith.

Now, you too are called to an Apostolate. Your mission is to help us teach others the richness, beauty, and tradition of our Catholic faith. You see, there are tens of thousands of families who need to know Jesus. They need to know about their faith.

We are asking you to honor the 12 Apostles by joining in their ongoing apostolic mission of the whole Church. How? By praying, learning from St Bartholomew, saying yes to the call of Jesus in your own life, engaging in the mission to evangelize and teach the faith, and by giving $12 a month.

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